A TRUE RELATION OF The great Victory, Obtained by God's Providence, by the Parliaments Forces in LANCASHIRE, Against the Forces raised by the King, in the counties of Westmoreland and Cumberland; Where they took Thurland-castle, and in the Fight took of the Enemy, Col: Huddleston, 2 Captains, an Ensign, 400 Prisoners, 7 Colours, killed many, drove many into the Sea, took their Magazine, divers Arms and Horses and totally routed them.  
Sent in a Letter by Colonel Rigby, a Member of the House of Commons, To the Honourable, William Lenthall Esquire, Speaker of the said House.  

Ordered by the Commons in Parliament, That this Relation be forthwith printed and published:  
H: Elsing, Cler. Parl. D. Com.   
Printed for Edward Husbands, November 20. 1643.   

A true Relation of the Great Victory obtained by God's Providence, by the Parliament Forces, etc.  
Honoured Sir,  
That I may give you an account of our proceed at Thurland, you may understood that Sir john Girlington having drawn 〈…〉 into his Castle of Thurland, he began to pl●●●●● the Country, and to commit Robbery and Murders, and thereupon for the suppression of him and his adherents, I repaired thither, and after seven weeks strait siege of the Castle, it was delivered unto me, to be demolished upon agreement, to suffer him and all his in the Castle, to pass away with their lives, and goods: During most part of the siege, the greatest part of the Forces of Westmoreland lay within our view, and daily threatened us; but God confined them to their own County, and every day more, and more inclined the hearts of the Commons of Westmoreland to decline any Attempt upon us, though we then lay in an Out Angle of our County, far from Sapplies, and whilst these things were in suspense, a Design was set on foot by all the Malignant Gentry of Westmoreland and Cumberland, and by Roger Kirby, and Alexander Rigby of the Burghe, two Lancashire men, to raise all the Forces of Cartmell and Fournes, part of Lancashire, to join with Cumberland and Westmoreland, to surprise Lancaster and Hornby Castles, and to assault us on all sides, and to raise our Siege, and then to proceed further into Lancashire, and (as upon credible information I believe) to join with Latham house, and all the ill affected in our County, to our general devastation. And for this end, they drew together part of Cumberland forces into Fournes, and with them the Strength of that place, to about the number of sixteen hundred, intending the next day to March into Cartmell towards us, and there to add to their forces, and in their way, they took and imprisoned divers of the best affected, and caused the rest of them to fly out of the Country, who posting to us, I forthwith took five hundred foot, two Drakes and three small Troops of Horse, parcel of my Forces at Thurland, and with them in one day, I Marched almost thirty miles, over mountains, and through Sea-sands, and waters, within two miles of the Enemy, and the next morning being the Lord's day, we found the Enemy in the Field, standing with a Body of Horse, and another of Foot, in a posture to receive us, upon a ground chosen for their own advantage: & when we were within half a mile of them, we committed ourselves to God's protection, and began our work with public prayers for his blessing upon us: And those done, we sped unto the Enemy, with such Resolution and Courage in all the Captains, and Common Soldiers, as by their deportment, I might have rather deemed, that they had made haste to have saluted their friends, then to have encountered their enemies: the enemy, word was (In with Quecn Mary) ours was (God with us) and at our first appearance, God so struck the hearts of these our enemy, with terror, that before a blow given, their Horse begun to retreat, our foot gave a great shout, our Horse pursued, theirs fled; their foot dispersed, and fled; they all trusted more to their feet, than their hands; they threw away their Arms and Colours, deserted their magazine drawn with eight oxen, and were totally routed in one quarter of an hours time; our horse slew some few of them in the pursuit, and drove many of them into the Sea; we took their Colonel Hudleston of Millam, two Captains, and an Ensign, and about four hundred Prisoners, six foot Colours, and one horse Colour; and their Magazine, and some horses, and more arms than men: and all this without the loss of any one man of ours; we had only one man hurt by the Enemy, and only another hurt by himself with his own Pistol, but neither mortally; upon the close of the business, all our men with a great shout cried out, Glory be to God; and we all, except one Troop of horse, and one foot Company, which I left to quiet the Country, returned forthwith towards our siege at Thurland; most of our Horsemen without alighting from our horses, and most of us all, without eating or drinking; so that early the next day we came again to Thurland, where we found our siege continued, within view of more than triple forces from Westmoreland, this work in Fournes had that influence upon all the Castlers, and all the Gentry of Westmoreland, and Cumberland, who then lay within our fight at Kirby-Loynsdale, that within two days after, the Castle was by the Negotiation of Sir Philip Musgrave, then commanding in chief in Westmoreland and Cumberland, agreed to be rendered unto me, to be demolished, which is accordingly done: And though I endeavoured to have preserved all the combustible materials therein from fire, yet I could not therein prevail with the common soldiers without great displeasure.  
My humble suit now is, to have the order of the House of Commons for my indemnity, for demolishing of the Castle: And because Colonel Hudleston (who yet hath a Regiment in Yorkshire, in or near Hallifax) is as I hear Serjeant Major General of Cumberland; and the most considerable man in Cumberland, and our next neighbour to Lancashire, and one whom without further danger to the peace of our county, I cannot conceive can be kept Prisoner here, I have therefore presumed to send him uno you, under the care and custody of Mr. Robert Fog, of whose industry and fidelity, both you and we here have had much experience: Sir, that God may bless, and prosper all your designs, and proceed for his glory, and the peace of this Kingdom, is the daily prayer of  
Your most humble Servant, ALEX: RIGBY. Preston in Lancashire, this 17 of Octo: 1643.  
FINIS.